


Spark

by Feen_meen



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Love at First Sight, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-12 10:06:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29133768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Feen_meen/pseuds/Feen_meen
Summary: Hypnos and Ares are from different universities going through different problems.Hypnos just wants to sleep and do art and forget about how every relationship he’s been in failed, possibly because of him.Ares just want to not be compared to his sister anymore and have people see him as he is.They somehow meet through an app and somehow find something common between each other.
Relationships: Ares/Hypnos (Hades Video Game), Charon/Hermes (Hades Video Game), Hypnos/Megaera (Hades Video Game), Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game)
Comments: 37
Kudos: 73





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> sorry if the summary sounds so meh and the title so uncreative HAHAHAHA ladboshslshdd I rushed to post this pls tell me how dumb I am through the comments

Hypnos watched as people started to pour into the otherwise empty gymnasium.

He wasn’t one to go to this kind of gathering. He’d much rather sleep. In fact, he can feel his bad beckoning him from his shared home right this moment. But, alas. Thanatos, his dear brother, had to use the _“I need your support”_ card on Hypnos and he couldn’t pass it up. Come on, when did the guy ever needed any support? More so from Hypnos. So he much too giddily agreed. If he had known it’ll be like this, he would’ve just said he fully supports Thanatos and that he’s cheering on him from the comfort of his bed. But Hypnos had to be swayed too easily.

Can you blame him? He and his brothers rarely interact despite living under one roof. He expected that kind of treatment from Charon because, well, he’s _Charon_ and he’s almost always out of the house. Hypnos thinks the only person who ever sees Charon frequently might be just Charon’s own boyfriend Hermes. But even the guy admits they meet very briefly. Charon’s one busy guy. Even busier than Thanatos. Speaking of Thanatos, between him and Charon, although he’s used to it, Hypnos doesn’t expect the cold shoulder from Thanatos. They saw each other fairly often. They go to the same school, damn it. Hypnos is even close buddies with Thanatos’s boyfriend, Zagreus. But yeah, he and Thanatos rarely hung out. So Hypnos relishes in these moments when Thanatos goes to him directly for something or the times when he decided it was a good time to nag at Hypnos like their mother hasn’t done the same. Because at least Thanatos was talking to him.

Ah, whatever. No use crying about not getting to spend this precious, prime napping time in bed. Hypnos will just have to give his all at _supporting_ his brother.

As people mill about, he was soon joined by Zagreus who, as always, brought in contraband snacks. Always the rule breaker. Not that Hypnos minded.

“Than dragged you here too, or something?” Hypnos asks him through a mouthful of chips. Zagreus laughs at the display and shakes his head.

“Always happy to support Than like the supportive boyfriend that I am.”

Hypnos snorts.

“I’m sure Than dragged you here, though. He kept going on about how you needed to get out of bed and out of your little basement studio more than usual. Didn’t think he was serious.”

Wow, Hypnos could cry right in front of Zagreus. Than, concerned about him? But he’s sure Zagreus modified that statement somewhat. It didn’t sound like something Thanatos would say but Hypnos would take it as it is. If it means Hypnos passed through Thanatos’s mind.

“Who’s the competing side anyway?” Hypnos asks out of the blue, now that he and Zagreus ran out of topics to talk about and also chips.

“Someone from Hermes’s school, as usual. It’s either that Athena girl or that other guy. The scary looking one,” Zagreus says as if Hypnos knew who the people he mentioned apart from Hermes. Hypnos just hums.

Zagreus and Hypnos converse casually until the event starts. Soon, the lights around the gymnasium dims, leaving the stage to be the only thing illuminated brightly.

“Welcome, esteemed students of Erebus and Olympus University. Thank you for attending the final leg of our week long competition! I’m sure you’re all anticipating the results!” The Host, debate club bench warmer Theseus, greets the audience with too much bravado for such a boring event like this, Hypnos thinks. But the audience just clapped along.

“Now that everyone’s pumped, let’s welcome our participants!”

Hypnos tunes out Theseus’s enthusiasm in favor of watching as Thanatos comes out and stands at the table set up on the stage with his debate partner Megaera, whose presence still pained Hypnos a bit.

How things ended between them was amicable, really. He guesses they really weren’t made for each other. They remained friends, though they rarely spoke to each other. Sometimes, Meg would personally seek him out and reach out to him for the usual romp. Hypnos doesn’t mind. He figures they both needed the stress relief. But that’s as far as their connection went these days.

Hypnos snaps out of his thoughts when the gymnasium erupted with another round of applause (and loud hooting from a dark purple haired guy seated a few seats in front of Hypnos and Zagreus) as Theseus introduces the competing side.

“Please welcome, Athena and Ares from Olympus University as the opposition!” Theseus introduces. A woman, with long dark blue hair propped in a tall ponytail comes out and beside her was…well, Hypnos can’t describe it. But to put it simply, the most unlikely debate participant Hypnos has ever seen. Well, next to Theseus, of course. But Theseus was more of an errand boy for the debate team. His true passion was that sport with the long stick whatever. But that’s besides the point, alright?! Also, granted Hypnos doesn’t go to stuff like this so admittedly, he doesn’t have many comparisons to use. But this guy, Ares, was different.

“Holy _shit_ ,” Hypnos says to Zagreus. “Have you seen this guy? He can’t be some debate freak. No way!”

Zagreus laughs. “Like I said, scary looking.”

“Scary?! _That’s_ scary to you?” Hypnos was appalled because to Hypnos, this guy was perfect.

Oh man. This guy can’t be just a debate freak. What do they feed these students at the university? He’s buff. Just the right buff that Hypnos likes. Gods, he can’t believe he’s lusting at first sight but what’s a guy to do? This Ares guy is quite possibly the kind of guy Hypnos really guns for. Tall, dark, handsome and well built.

While Hypnos sits there in awe, the competition starts. Hypnos mostly tuned it out, just watching this new guy make quick work of dismantling the arguments posed by Thanatos with as much flourish as Thanatos had delivering his speech, all the while looking so calm and cool and collected with that deep voice of his. Hypnos briefly wondered if this Ares guy sounded the same discussing the most mundane stuff.

And smart, too? Damn. Hypnos thought.

Zagreus was clapping and hollering beside him but Hypnos just kept staring because he can’t help it. Because knowing himself, he won’t act on this new crush of his. Hypnos will not risk another heartbreak. And besides, no one in Olympus U is keen enough on pursuing someone from Erebus. Far too different principles, or something. And this Ares looks and sounds like a straight A student and the type to not risk smearing whatever he has going for himself.

Soon enough, the debate has ended and somehow Thanatos and Megaera won. Hypnos never understood how the scoring system worked in these dumb competitions but Hypnos doesn’t care. He’s glad Thanatos and Meg won, though. Athena and Ares looked like they didn’t mind losing and took it as gracefully as one could. But as they left the stage, Hypnos sees a glimpse of Ares’s features change but it was too brief and too far to see.

Well, now that that’s over, Hypnos’s world goes back to normal.

He and Zagreus stayed while the attendees filed out one by one. Probably off to class, back to their respective university or out for a fun night out. Hypnos was just about to leave when Zagreus stops him.

“You are coming with us. We have to celebrate!” Zagreus giddily says.

“Wha? You mean with Meg and Than? Hell no, dude. You guys go ahead.”

“No, no. It’s just gonna be us. Than, me, you and maybe Charon and Hermes”

“Oh wow. Even Charon got dragged out from the woodworks by Than?”

Zagreus just laughs.

Soon they were joined by Thanatos, who looked positively pleased with himself but kept it well. Zagreus was quick to sing his praises and even snuck in a celebratory kiss or two. Hypnos giggled at the display. He gave his congratulations to Thanatos who smiled the tiniest smile and said his thanks.

Hypnos matched it with a grin.

Hypnos was kind of sad he couldn’t extend his congratulations to Meg as well but he figured he could just message her later. He made a mental note of it as they started to leave the campus and head to the café that was popular among students at their university to start celebrating Thanatos’s win.

Zagreus animatedly recounted the parts he liked the most about the whole thing as Hypnos and Thanatos listened. Thanatos looks quite overwhelmed, his cheeks flushed darker. Hypnos never thought his brother was capable showing much emotion apart from disdain and anger and boredom. He was glad Zagreus was there to bring out this kind of reaction from his stoic brother.

They reached the café soon enough and they took a table near that was flush against the tall windows of the establishment. The couple sat beside and across from Hypnos. They ordered drinks and snacks to munch on.

“So, are Charon and Hermes going to be here or…?” Hypnos asks after a while.

“Well, I’m not sure about Charon,” Thanatos says. “But Hermes is just rounding the corner right now as we speak.”

Hypnos looks out the window to find Hermes but before he could, the said man scoots Hypnos over and sits beside him, startling Hypnos.

“Hey, fellas. I know I say I am never late. I technically am not considering we did not agree on a specific time so here I am, in all my glory,” Hermes greets with a grin.

“It’s always good to see you, mate. But where’s Charon? We invited him as well. Also, I hope you don’t mind but we already ordered for you,” Zagreus says.

Hermes shrugs. “Charon can’t make it today so he told me to just extend his and my congratulations to you, Than. We both know you won with flying colors without even needing to watch.”

Thanatos thanks him. “It’s quite alright. Can’t expect Charon to give his time and day to things like this. He values his business too much. Understandably so.”

Hermes nods in agreement.

The four of them exchanged stories while they waited for their order to arrive. Their conversation halted a bit when their order did arrive. Zagreus was recounting for the second time today, his favorite parts of the competition to Hermes. Said man was happy to listen while Thanatos gives supplementary information about the strategies he and Megaera used to bag the winning title.

Hypnos was content to just listen on but the conversation suddenly shifted to him when Zagreus asked to back him on this one particular part of the event.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” He asks sheepishly. Zagreus recounted it again and Hypnos had a chance to nod in agreement just to get the guy off his case. Look, he didn’t really understand half of what the debate was about because he was too busy ogling. Thankfully, Zagreus didn’t notice this.

Or so he thought.

“You know, I’ve been wondering. Did you even actively listen to the debate, Hypnos?” Zagreus suddenly asks, putting Hypnos in the spotlight.

Hypnos felt like a deer caught in headlights. “Y-Yeah, of course I did, silly! What makes you think I didn’t?”

“Well, nothing really. But I could’ve sworn you were just staring at the stage listlessly.”

Great. So Zagreus did notice. But at least, he didn’t know Hypnos was actually staring at a particular person and not the stage itself.

Thanatos rolls his eyes. “This is why you need to get out more, Hypnos. You’re always holed up in your room or the basement after class. I rarely see around school after your classes.”

Hypnos nervously laughs. “You…you rarely saw me at all, Than.” Thanatos frowns. “I-I mean, I’m cool with that, really. I’d just rather sleep and/or do my art pieces for class after school instead of, y’know, hanging around.”

Thanatos’s frown deepens.

“Really, I’m fine. I’m glad you’re concerned but I’m fine.”

“Is this about Megaera still?”

Ouch. Thanatos doesn’t beat around the bush. Hypnos should’ve been accustomed to this by now but it still catches him off guard.

“Wait,” Hermes says after a particularly loud slurp from his Frappe. “I thought you guys were okay already.”

Hypnos groans loudly. “We are! Everything’s fine. I’m fine, she’s fine, we’re fine. We talk sometimes but what more do we have to talk about.”

Zagreus seems to buy this but Thanatos just looks at his brother, his face showing an emotion Hypnos couldn’t decipher.

Hermes also doesn’t look like he’s buying it because there’s a glint in his eyes that spells trouble for Hypnos.

“You know what I think?” Hermes starts, sporting a mischievous smile. “I think you need someone to screw around with. Maybe you just miss being in someone’s arms.”

Hypnos chokes on the nacho chip he had in his mouth. He quickly swallows it and the action made him sputter and cough. He took a long sip from his strawberry smoothie to ease the pain. He turned to look at the people seated across from them and of course, Than looked repulsed. Zagreus, however, looked like Hermes just sprung the most brilliant idea in all of history.

Hypnos shakes his head rapidly, waving his hands around as if the action will make the topic change.

“No, no, no, no. I’m way too busy. And that’s a bad idea, Hermes. Never speak of that again,” Hypnos says in an attempt to save face.

“Oh, come on! Just give it a try?” Hermes says sweetly, trying his best to convince Hypnos.

“No, absolutely not.”

“Hey, you know what?” Zagreus scoots closer to the table. “What if we put up a profile for you in that anonymous dating app everyone’s been raving about?”

Hypnos shakes his head rapidly again, the action kind of making him dizzy.

“Hell no,” he says. “You know what, I actually need to leave because I still have some stuff to do.”

Hypnos makes a move to stand up but Hermes catches his wrist and pulls him back down to his seat. He knows what’s going to happen next because like the dumbass that he is, he left his phone on the table and Hermes was quick to take notice of this. Before Hypnos could snag it keep it in his person, Hermes managed to snatch it quickly, passing it on to Zagreus who was rapidly typing on the phone as soon as he gets it.

Hypnos tries to take it back but was overpowered by Hermes. He looked at his brother pleadingly but Thanatos just watches on, not really up to stopping Zagreus as he could never sway the man.

Zagreus was smiling wickedly throughout the process. Hermes cheering him on at the side, also giving him ideas on what to put on Hypnos’s profile to make it sound appealing.

Zagreus chooses to use a picture of a sheep to use as Hypnos’s avatar and soon enough, profile was set. He flashes the phone to Hypnos.

“Gods, just delete it, please,” Hypnos begs.

“Just try it!” Zagreus says, handing him the phone back. “Maybe you just need a new friend.”

Hypnos mumbles something no one could hear.

“We’re just…worried for you, Hypnos. You’ve done nothing but hole up in your room and the basement. You need to spend time with other people,” Zagreus says reassuringly. Hypnos just mumbles again and takes his phone back.

“If I end up meeting some creep, I’m blaming it on both of you,” Hypnos threatens Hermes and Zagreus who just regarded him innocently.

Hypnos sighs and finishes his smoothie.

Soon, they were all leaving.

Hypnos completely forgot about the app already.

* * *

It was shaping up to be such a terrible day for Ares already.

First, today was another debate competition day. Which Ares was always prepared for, of course. He takes debate seriously. He made quick work of researching the topic of the debate days prior to today. But what he didn’t account for was Athena was going to be his partner.

“Do you mind?” their debate teacher, Lady Demeter, asks him after she informed him of this set up. Ares shook his head, a bit caught off guard at the question.

…In actuality, he minds it. A lot. He thinks, no, he knows he can win this without Athena’s help at all. But, alas, rules are rules. Rules says they need two people in the team, they’re going to have two people.

It still stings whenever he and Athena get compared. After all, they’re siblings. He doesn’t show it much. But the idea of getting compared to her really ticks him off. It ticks him off so much sometimes, he spends a but if his free time absolutely obliterating his punching bag which he’s had to replace for Gods know how many times. And when it isn’t enough, he even goes to do a round or two of Muay Thai at the gym with whoever was up for it.

Shit, whatever. He’ll just have to go through it like all those times. He’ll just have to bear the brunt of the whispers he’ll hear. Just like always.

Alright so, second reason as to why this day is going shitty for Ares was he woke up late. He was never late to anything. Especially debates. He cursed himself as he scrambled to get himself together. Damn Dionysus for his late night shindigs. He kept Ares awake with his dumb late night calls to whichever soul was unfortunate enough to get charmed by him.

Ares was still cursing as he makes his way to the neck of the city where Erebus University was situated. Curse this debate for being too far. He was already sweating through the shirt he was wearing. Thankfully, he had brought with him a spare, more presentable shirt.

He arrived in just the nick of time, with a little to spare so he could change and organize his papers before setting foot at the podium. He made his way to the gymnasium where the debate was to be held. Athena, of course, was already there and she didn’t waste anytime to comment on his tardiness.

“You’re late,” Athena said. Great, this was off to a good start. Ares didn’t let his irritation show on his features.

“Yes, thank you for the astute observation, Athena. I apologize for my tardiness,” Ares says tersely. Athena shoots up a brow but dismisses Ares’s terseness.

He really wasn’t up for a sibling squabble so he just dropped it. Ares just focused on gathering his thoughts, lining up his arguments in his mind. They’re going up against Thanatos again. This time paired up with that girl Megaera. Ares was confident that he and Athena were going to win.

Ares scanned the rest of the gymnasium from backstage. The seats were lined up nearly, as expected from the organizers that was headed by none other than Thanatos. What’s curious, though, is that despite the event not starting for another twenty minutes, someone was already sitting two rows from the front. The guy looked bored out of his skull. Twirling his curly hair with his fingers. He looked like he was just about to pass out but he was just looking on. He looked familiar, Ares thought. He couldn’t put a finger on it, but Ares decided to drop it and focus on his papers again.

Ares paced around a bit as he internalized the research he had made. Soon enough, students from both Erebus and Olympus started file in and Ares took a peek. His eyes fell on the guy he was curious about earlier to see him animatedly conversing with Zagreus. Or at least that’s what Ares thinks. He used to see this Zagreus hanging around his campus with Hermes. Not that that’s any of Ares’s business, so he just sets it aside again in favor of focusing on his papers.

The event soon started, Erebus Debate Team’s very own Theseus spearheading the event. He greeted the crowd with far too much enthusiasm. The crowd clapped along and Ares could hear faint hollering from a familiar voice. The thought made him groan. Of course, Dionysus was here.

Ares could never explain why and how he manages to tolerate Dionysus, but he did. When he enrolled into Olympus University, he was assigned to be Dionysus’s roommate. Ares didn’t mind. Which was bizarre. He should’ve because Dionysus was the complete opposite of him. Ares liked to keep to himself, while Dionysus was the type to always overshadow his affairs. It ticked Ares of course but it was not easy to hate the guy. He finds himself drawn to Dionysus’s antics sometimes, much to his dismay. Ares was antisocial and Dionysus always made it a point to remind Ares about it all the time. He would also try to coax Ares into going out and living life but he’s never been successful at it. Dionysus takes it in good stride and Ares was thankful for that.

“Please welcome, Athena and Ares from Olympus University as the opposition!” Theseus soon says. Athena quietly wishes Ares a good luck and he replied with just a hum. They stepped out of the backstage at the same time and Ares scanned the crowd and sure enough, Dionysus was there, being his loud eccentric self. His eyes darted a few seats behind where Dionysus sat to spy that the guy he was staring at before the event was also staring at him. He and Ares met eyes, locking at a silent staring contest. The guy didn’t even look away while he said something to Zagreus who was sitting beside him. Zagreus laughed and said something as well. Athena moving to sit on one of the stools set behind a table for her and Ares was the only thing that snapped Ares from his reverie. He moved to sit on the stool next to Athena’s.

As per tradition, Theseus reads the motion for the debate. Megaera was first to stand behind the podium after the introduction of the motion. She built up their case, in favor of course, of the motion. She swiftly finished before the allotted time passed and moved to sit down again beside Thanatos.

It was now Athena’s turn to talk. Much as Ares doesn’t want to admit, Athena’s skills at debate were good, as well. She gracefully presented the reason as to why she and Ares, as the opposition, do not agree with the motion. And soon enough she was finished. Theseus stood behind the podium again to tell the audience that it is now time for the rebuttals.

Thanatos was next to stand behind the podium and methodically dismantled what Athena presented. As expected of Thanatos, it was thorough, Ares thought. The case Thanatos built and delivered was said with as much flourish as Ares would. Before Thanatos could finish, Ares scanned the crowd one last time before it was his time to speak and once again, his eyes fell onto the guy he was having a staring contest with.

Ares didn’t want to admit but the ogling was making him a bit self-conscious. He tugged at his collar a bit to straighten it and looked anywhere but the pair of gold-colored eyes that seemed to have locked onto Ares.

Before he knew it, it was time for him to speak so Ares stood up and walked to the podium. He looked anywhere but the guy as he delivered his rebuttal against Thanatos’s claim. But he couldn’t shake off the feeling that he’s still being watched so he stumbled a bit but bounced back with enough dignity and poise expected from him and he finishes. He sits back down on his seat.

A few more points of information were raised from both sides which both sides answered before the debate was deemed finished. The crowd erupted with a round of applause as Theseus announces that that was the end of the event and in a few minutes, they will be announcing which team won. Much to Ares’s surprise and dismay, though, Thanatos’s team won.

After getting their second place trophies and the host announcing that the event has finally ended, Ares immediately went backstage, not wasting any moment.

He can already imagine the stern talking to they’ll get from Lady Demeter for this competition’s failure. He can already imagine the hushed whispers he’ll hear from people. He can already imagine what they’re saying.

_He got too arrogant again._

_He’s all talk. Psh._

_Athena would’ve won this easily._

The same old tired songs from the same people. Gods, Ares was so sick and tired of it all. He ignores them for the most part, as he should. But it never fails to get under his skin sometimes. Ah, whatever. He’ll just go back to his dorm and do a bit of schoolwork before heading to the gym. He always feels good after a round at the gym. Yeah, that’s what he needed.

But…

“Hey, Ares! Wait up, man!” An all too familiar voice shouts from behind. Ares walked faster.

“What the fuck?” The familiar voice exclaims. Ares weaves through the crowd in the corridors of Erebus University but much to Ares’s displeasure, a hand squeezes his shoulder and he stops in his tracks, signaling that the person whom the voice belonged to has caught up to him.

“What is it, Dionysus?” Ares asks solemnly as he turns around to face the jolly man.

“You made me run there, man! What the hell? Well, whatever!” Dionysus says. “Heading back to the dorm?”

Ares can feel the irritation bubbling in him but he schooled his expression well. “Yes, Dionysus. Now, if that’s all, please excuse me.” He removes the hand that was still in his shoulder and turns around but Dionysus wraps his arm around Ares.

“Oh, come on! Live a little! What say you and I head out somewhere, eh? Just to get that competition off your head. I mean, you did great, anyway! Guess the judges thought the other team did better.”

Ares groans. “No, Dionysus. I already have plans.”

Dionysus raises an eyebrow. “Plans? You mean slump on your desk and make out with a book?”

Ares turns to face him and says, “I don’t like your terms for studying but yes. So if you’ll excuse me.” He moves to get away from Dionysus again. The man let him.

“One of these days, Ares! I’ll get you to get out and have fun!”

Ares scoffs. Empty threats, like always.

After that exchange, Ares made his way back to the dorms.

Truthfully speaking, Ares has no qualms about interacting with other people. He just isn’t in the mood all the time. And not to mention that people in their school avoid him like the plague because, as Dionysus helpfully supplied one time, he had a scaring looking resting face. It’s something Ares can’t do much about so no one can fault him. Besides, it makes people talk to him for something less. Why he needs people to talk to him less, well, Athena and his father is one of the executives at the school. Ares has had a bad track record with people approaching him and getting in his good graces for his connections. The fact of that matter stings because no one can apparently tolerate him enough. People always have to have an ulterior motive to interact with Ares.

Well, except maybe Dionysus. But Dionysus gets along with everyone.

Anyway, Ares didn’t mind, really. But sometimes, he is left ruminating whenever Dionysus comments on his lack of enthusiasm for companionship.

“I’d die if I were in your shoes,” Dionysus would always say.

Ares would always snap back by saying that he and Dionysus were different. Because really, Ares was used to it. Used to being alone, used to fighting his battles all on his own, as dramatic as that sounds.

Sometimes, though, Ares does wonder what it would be like if he were more sociable. It does get lonely and he’d die before anyone makes him admit that. Ares just….really doesn’t mesh well with other people.

Again, maybe except for Dionysus.

He arrived at the dorms soon enough and he collapsed on his bed, feeling all the exhaustion from today seep through his body. Ares checked his socials for a bit to check for any updates from classes that he might’ve missed while being in the debate competition. Of course, there’s nothing. He did see a few photos snapped from the event tagged under his name. Mostly from the page of the event itself and Dionysus.

He scrolls a bit to check the pictures and comes across a picture that piqued his interest.

It was tagged under Zagreus’s name. Looks like he posted it as well. Ares clicks on the picture see the bigger version.

In the picture was Zagreus, his arm wrapped around Thanatos’s shoulder, looking proud while the latter looked utterly embarrassed. Ares figured Thanatos was never the sort to engage in grand displays of affection like Zagreus was. He looks at the other faces in the picture and he sees that same bored looking guy again next to Hermes.

 _“Proud boyfriend right here! Featuring Hermes and Hypnos, of course! :)”_ Zagreus captioned the picture.

“Hypnos…” Ares whispers.

Ares screws his eyes shut and closes his phone. He has no time to be dwelling on stuff like this. He won’t even see the guy again any time soon. This is all Dionysus’s fault.

He picks himself up from his bed and gets to sorting his schoolwork. Schoolwork is just the right thing to do to keep his mind off of whatever that was that happened at the competition.

* * *

Just like what Ares thought, schoolwork really did keep his mind off of the happenings of today because before he knew it, Dionysus was already barreling through their dorm room, announcing his grand arrival. Ares swivels his chair to face the man.

“Heeeyyyyyy, Ares! My favorite roommate! Haven’t seen you all day!” Dionysus greets, moving to give Ares a hug, his arms extended. The latter ultimately stopped Dionysus’s attempt by holding out his hand.

“Dionysus, I would appreciate it if you stop attempting to put your grubby hands anywhere near me and that you keep quiet at this time of the night. It’s way past 8PM. We don’t want the guards going up here again to reprimand you while I make excuses for you,” Ares sternly says.

“Awww, come on, Ares! Live a little!” Dionysus says through a chuckle, remembering how they had the guards go up to their dorm room on more than one occasion because of Dionysus just being his loud, great self. Dionysus takes a peek at the desk behind Ares and groans dramatically loud. “Gods, I can’t believe you’ve been studying all this time.”

Ares raises an eyebrow. “Is that so wrong? Why, you should be studying as well, you know. Exams are coming up and you don’t want to be called to the offices again for your impending failure, now would you?”

Dionysus groans again and settles himself down on his bed. “You’re such a stick in the mud, you know that? I’ve been studying too, you know. I just know how to balance having fun and studying. Unlike you and your uptight self. Do you even do anything for fun? No, do you even know what fun _is_?”

Ares can feel a headache bloom. He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. “I’m not having this conversation.” He swivels back to face his desk to work on his unfinished schoolwork.

There was a moment of silence, sans for some quiet rustling on Dionysus’s side of the room. It pleased Ares. Though, he can’t shake the feeling that…

Ares whips his head to check his phone that used to lay innocently on the bed. Used to. He looks around to see it in the hands of Dionysus who was grinning maliciously as he typed away at it

“Dionysus,” Ares says menacingly. But the man didn’t event look up. Ares repeats the man’s name.

“Hmm? Yes, my dear friend Ares?” Dionysus says, still typing away at the phone.

“Give me back my phone, please.”

Finally Dionysus looks up. Raising a finger at him. “One sec.”

Ares was puzzled but obliged, though his patience was thinning. Dionysus stands up and much to Ares’s confusion, walks to the door and opens it.

“I promise, you’ll have fun,” Dionysus says before he leaves through the door, bolting into a sprint.

Ares follows after him, almost catching up to Dionysus who was giggling like a dumb schoolgirl while holding Ares’s phone firmly in his hand.

Gods, he didn’t need this. As soon as they were out of the building, Ares was screaming bloody murder while Dionysus just laughs. Ares manages to catch up to him at the grassy area situated near the front of their school and Ares wastes no time and tackles Dionysus into the grass. The man seems to find this all funny still as he was still laughing as he tries catching his breath, holding up the phone away from Ares’s grasp.

“Okay, okay you got me! I’ll give it to you! Just promise you’ll give this a try!” Dionysus says as Ares snatches his phone from the man.

Ares stands up, keeps his phone in his pocket and brushes himself off. “Do that again, and I swear, Dionysus. I will cut your _‘beautiful hair’_ in your sleep.”

Dionysus gasps. “You think it’s beautiful?”

It was…really hard to hate this guy and Ares hates that fact. Ares huffs and extends his hand for Dionysus to grasp. The man did and Ares pulls him to his feet. Dionysus brushes himself off and thanks him, flashing Ares a wide grin.

“What did you even put on my phone?” Ares questions after a beat, pulling the phone from his pocket to check it.

Dionysus huffs a laugh. “Just give it a try, alright? So you won’t have just me and your weights and your books listed as your friends. And hey, I told you I’ll get you to get out one of these days,” Dionysus walks off, leaving Ares to ponder.

Ares checks his phone to see what the hells Dionysus did to his phone and sees a few notifications from a newly installed app called—

—“What the hells is _‘Spark’_?” Ares asks himself. He squints and opens the app to see that it was some sort…dating app? He will really need to murder Dionysus one of these days. And he already had Ares’s profile matched with someone! The bastard! Ares quickly checks the messages to see that Dionysus only went as far as matching his profile with some person named _'SleepySheep69420’_ (classy name, Ares scoffs) and messaged a simple _“Hey :)”_.

Ares shoots Dionysus a text, feeling that impending headache from before already there.

_[Ares]: I hope you sleep with one eye open tonight._

_[Dionysus]: Well, thankfully I will be sleeping at a friend’s tonight then, haha ;P_

Ares sighs and walks back to his dorm.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I forgot to mention that Ares is idk how to put it but I guess awkward????? ME AND MY FRIEND LIKE TO IMAGINE HIM GETTING A BIT THROWN OFF GUARD BY HYPNOS OKAY HHHHH!!! Hope you all like it tho :)

It was several days when Ares got a notification from the Spark app Dionysus forced him to use. He had no plans to continue using the app as he did some research into it after he got back to the dorm the night the app was forced to him and it sent him into a rabbit hole of reports of people meeting other shady people. Though, he could probably hold his own should he ever (not that he planned to meet anyone) was paired up with some dubious person. Ares was intimidating and scary, and everyone whoever met him or came across him made that known, be it through hushed whispers or look alone. But all in all, it was an app made to connect students from the same or different campuses within the area.

But Dionysus would constantly ask him every time he could about the app and it infuriates Ares to no end. He had half a mind to just delete the app but he knows Dionysus will just keep installing the accursed app if he caught wind of Ares deleting it so he relented.

Ares sighs and puts down his pen. He picks up his phone and checks the notifications to see that yes, whoever it was that Dionysus messaged had finally replied.

_[SleepySheep69420]: Heeeeeeyyyyy what’s up? :)_

_[SleepySheep69420]: Sorry it took me a while to reply_

_[SleepySheep69420]: Forgot I had this app lol_

Ares scoffs, still can’t wrap his head around the ridiculous username. Dionysus thought him bland enough that he didn’t need such a name as this one because Dionysus had him named ‘HelmetHead01’. Leave it to Dionysus to find a way to turn a hobby of Ares’s into a ridicule.

Ares puts the phone down and picks his pen back up. He tries to go back to writing the essay he had been trying to finish for the past hour but his mind is now preoccupied with thinking about what to reply. Truthfully (and obviously), Ares wasn’t good at this. He never needed a reason to join a fad such as this as he found it ridiculous. He can’t fathom the idea of making friends (and some even building intimate relationships) behind a screen. Call Ares a stuck up and traditional but he’d rather talk to people face to face. Text alone isn’t enough to gauge the worthiness of someone. One line of sentence not spoken in front of him can be construed to mean something else and that’s not something Ares liked to witness and have it happening to himself as well.

He sighs, deeming it a bit silly to be pondering this hard on something so superficial. He started to type a semblance of reply, something a little casual but not too casual. But he quickly deleted it. Gods, why was this so hard. He can’t even put a face on this (unsurprisingly, the avatar showed a caricature of a sheep). So surely just about any reply would do. But it didn’t sit quite well with Ares. He clicked on the profile of this SleepySheep whatever person to see any other information he could use to form a reply.

Interestingly, he found out that this person went to Erebus. That much is true, as the distance between Ares and whoever this was is displayed on his profile and it matches the distance between his dorm and Erebus. As far as he knows Erebus didn’t have dorms so he’s guessing this person must be still in the campus, doing Gods know what.

Groaning quietly, Ares just settles for a plain response.

_[HelmetHead01]: That is quite fine. I’m sure you’re busy with other matters and truthfully speaking, I wasn’t expecting a reply. Though, your reply isn’t unwelcome._

Gods, he was terrible at this. How did Dionysus managed to make friends this way, let alone build intimate relationships like this? From all the stories he told Ares, he was pretty big in the dating app scene, and meets quite a lot of people this way. Ares warned him about the dangers of what he’s doing but he was met with an over-the-top declaration from Dionysus about how he was deeply touched Ares cared about him and that he would remember to be careful since Ares was kind enough to worry. The display put Ares off so he never brought it up again. Dionysus was a grown man already, he can handle himself.

It took several hours before this Sheep person replied.

_[SleepySheep69420]: oh good! Haha_

_[SleepySheep69420]: Im never good at this so sorry if my replies are short_

_[SleepySheep69420]: I was only forced to do this by my friends_

This intrigued Ares. At least they had that in common, he thought.

_[HelmetHead01]: I see. Well, at least we have that going for each other as I was also forced to do this. And to ease your worries, I am also quite terrible at this so do forgive me._

Ares felt a bit bare admitting this so he puts down his phone and goes back to writing his essay. But before he could finish a paragraph, another reply made his phone vibrate so he begrudgingly reads it.

_[SleepySheep69420]: oh great so I guess were even haha_

_[SleepySheep69420]: say, it says on your profile you go to Olympus U_

_[SleepySheep69420]: well I assume that u do at least because the distance between us matches and I remember there being dorms at the campus_

_[SleepySheep69420]: But what I wanted to know was_

_[SleepySheep69420]: do u happen to know anyone named Ares???_

The questioned surprised Ares. Because well, for starters, why would this person ask about him and second, apart from the times he needed to go to Erebus for university and competition matters, he doesn’t think he interacts with anyone at the university enough to warrant someone to inquire about him like this, so how would this person know him?

Ares’s mind was teeming with unsavory thoughts. Was he being stalked? Probably not. He was smart enough to know when he is and if he was, he’d be able to out the stalker. So why?

Ares thought long and hard about what to reply but his phone buzzes again.

_[SleepySheep69420]: sorry that was probs rude haha asking about someone else when Im supposed to be getting to know u_

This only served to confuse Ares even more.

_[HelmetHead01]: Why are you asking about Ares?_

The text bubble popped up and disappeared a couple of times before Ares got a reply.

_[SleepySheep69420]: nothing really_

_[SleepySheep69420]: he just intrigued me is all haha_

There were a lot of adjectives that people associated with Ares. Arrogant, intimidating, mean, scary are just a few of them. But this was the first time someone said he was intriguing. Gods, he won’t be able to finish his essay at this rate. But he can’t just leave this conversation like this because it’s eating at him.

Ares groans again.

_[HelmetHead01]: What’s so intriguing about him?_

Just like before, the text bubble popped up and disappeared a couple of times before Ares got another reply.

_[SleepySheep69420]: this is embarrassing holy crap_

_[SleepySheep69420]: can we just talk about something else haha_

_[SleepySheep69420]: what do u do for fun??_

Well, that’s that, Ares guesses. If this person won’t say, he’ll just have to drag it out of them. Whatever it takes.

_[HelmetHead01]: Not a lot. Does working out count?_

* * *

Approximately a week has passed since Ares and this person, SleepySheep69420 (or Somnus, Ares learned later on, though he has a hunch this was a nickname of some sort), started talking. He told this Somnus person he was Mars since even if Ares can feel himself slowly grow lax around Somnus, he’s not about to give away his identity.

Loathing as it was to admit but Ares was…genuinely having fun talking to this person. Though, Dionysus will have to have him at knifepoint to get Ares to admit it to him. Thankfully, Ares has trained himself well to conceal his emotions so Dionysus rarely catches him cracking a small smile whenever Somnus would say something silly. Though, half of Ares feels like it’s just him longing for someone to talk to who wouldn’t be so afraid. Well, he did have Dionysus for that. Or someone who will talk to him without the ulterior motive.

Though he still hasn’t been able to ask why Somnus ever asked about himself.

Over the span of a week, though, Ares was able to learn so much more about Somnus. Apparently, he majoring in art. Somnus sent a few of his pieces. Ares isn’t much of an art fan and didn’t possess a deep knowledge enough to be able to critique art at all but he could tell he was talented and took great care and pride in making their art. Ares made sure to tell them that and his praises were thanked profusely, though Somnus said he had much to learn still. He divulged to Somnus he was majoring in history so it wasn’t as interesting as art. But Somnus was quick to dismiss that, saying though he wasn’t that well-versed in history, it was still interesting. Ares fought the urge to talk about his favorite topics.

Despite this, though, whatever this was is concerning Ares a bit. The attention was intoxicating. Somnus once expressed to him that he was sort of a loner too and sort of longed for a connection with someone that wasn’t his brother or his brother’s significant other which was something Ares empathized with. It was only the reason, Somnus relayed, that he’s using the app despite being adamant about it at first. Though talking to Ares made it all the more worth it, he confessed. Ares blushed a bit at this.

Which was silly, of course. Ares chides himself for being swayed to such flattery.

Still, it was a pleasant feeling to have someone to communicate to on a regular basis. Again, Dionysus was and still is a constant for Ares. But Dionysus also had other matters to attend to so he was occasionally out. At least there was someone to ask Ares how his day went and Ares had someone to ask the same.

More days passed and soon, without Ares even noticing, it has become a month since he got acquainted to Somnus. Ares was starting to find it quite funny given his hesitation to use the app out of fear. And yet here he was, casually spilling details about his everyday life (but still being discreet, mind you!) to someone he hasn’t even met in person. But it will soon change because one day, Ares receives a string of messages from Somnus that conveyed something that he didn’t want to admit he wanted to do.

_[SleepySheep69420]: kinda weird because we’ve been talking to each other for a month already???_

_[SleepySheep69420]: and we still haven’t seen each other_

_[SleepySheep69420]: I live kinda close to Olympus U and I was wondering if you’re up to like_

_[SleepySheep69420]: maybe hang out or something???_

Without missing a beat, Ares replied.

_[HelmetHead01]: Sure. Where and when do you want to meet up?_

* * *

The arrangement was a bit unorthodox, Hypnos thought. Normally, one of the first things to do when you meet someone through these dating apps was to ask for pictures, right? Granted, Hermes and Zagreus had the hindsight to use some caricature sheep to use as his default picture, just in case he got matched up with some creepy person. At least it wasn’t his face that the person will see immediately. Hypnos has the freedom of choice, whether or not to reveal his face. He guesses it was the same for HelmetHead01—or _Mars_ , he later finds out. Hypnos waited for Mars to bring it up but he never did. So Hypnos just figures it didn’t really interest Mars at all. Video and voice calls are out of the question too, from what he gathers.

Which worked well, Hypnos thought. But a part of him was curious. Mars sounded really posh. Either the guy was some holier-than-thou type of person who liked to lurk in internet forums to express how smart they were or they’re lying about their age (which is honestly, a bit farfetched for Hypnos because the way this person speaks reminds him a lot of the way Thanatos spoke) or Mars was from some posh family whose dad probably forced him to speak the way those posh families in movies do.

Well, whatever Mars was, Hypnos really wanted to meet him. Just to confirm his suspicions and to quell his growing curiosity. And besides, the reason he was forced to do this anyway was because Zagreus and the others wanted him to make friends. Mars seemed harmless, anyway. Ever since they started chatting, Mars has never once made Hypnos feel terrible. It was the opposite, in fact. It made Hypnos nervous just a little bit because the thought of getting attached to someone he hasn’t even met wasn’t part of the plan.

It was admittedly hard to not get attached. They’ve practically talked everyday. It made Hypnos feel kind of wanted. He liked reading about Mars talking about how his day went, or how terrible their roommate was for leaving used clothing strewn about in their shared room. Mars gave him time as well, to air his grievances and talk about how his day went. Which, honestly weren’t all that interesting. Hypnos didn’t do much. He had a set list of things to do for everyday and he stuck to it pretty religiously. But Mars didn’t mind, still read through Hypnos’s meager detailing of his everyday life.

That’s why, here Hypnos was, confiding to his ever loyal seatmate Sisyphus.

“I don’t see the problem, Hypnos,” Sisyphus says, though he didn’t look up from his desk. Still busy sketching his next carving project.

Hypnos groans.

“I mean, you’re curious, yeah? From what you’ve told me, which was a lot for someone who _really_ wasn’t as attached like you, Mars seemed like a good person.”

He groans again. “But what if that wasn’t the case, Sisyphus?”

“Well, you could just opt out of it? Just forget your desire to meet him. If you push through with it, maybe tell someone where you’re meeting and at what time. Make sure it’s still bright out so there are people around.”

The idea stewed in Hypnos for the rest of the week.

The idea was still running amok in his head and it infuriated Hypnos. He texted Zagreus and Hermes with a simple _“Fuck you guys this is all your fault”_ and the two replied with just question marks.

It must’ve alarmed Zagreus since later that day, he was standing at the doorway leading to Hypnos’s classroom.

“What did I do?” Zagreus asks Hypnos the moment he walked out of the room, worry displayed on his face.

Hypnos reciprocated it with a confused expression but then soon realized what Zagreus had meant. He pushed past the throng of people passing by and Zagreus followed him.

“I got matched to this person on the app you and Hermes forced me to use and now we’ve been talking for what seems like forever and I’m dying to know what they’re like in person,” Hypnos says.

It was Zagreus’s turn to look confused.

“You mean _Spark_? I thought you deleted it already.”

“Well, I didn’t. And I started talking to this person named Mars and I’m growing attached!”

The outburst surprised Zagreus, who suddenly stopped walking. Hypnos turned around to witness the guy burst into laughter. Hypnos rolled his eyes and kept walking but Zagreus caught up.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. I just—I just thought with how against the idea you were, as soon as you went home that day, you would delete the app. How was I to know you’d actually use it!”

Hypnos just ignores him and keeps walking. They’re almost out of the campus now.

“So…” Zagreus says when Hypnos finally slowed down a bit. “Are you gonna meet the person? Sounds like you’re thinking of it.”

Hypnos stops in his tracks and faces Zagreus. “I…I don’t know? I want to, though.”

“No harm in it. Think about it real hard. I’ll support you, no matter what,” Zagreus tells him before bidding Hypnos goodbye.

Now, Hypnos is even more conflicted.

* * *

Hypnos was sitting on his bed, very much wanting to just sleep his indecisiveness away but he receives his update from Mars.

_[HelmetHead01]: As always, my roommate left the room as disheveled as his love life. Can’t catch a break ever. I’ll only admit this to you but despite all this, it is hard to hate him._

Hypnos cracked a small smile. He starts typing but goes and back and forth with deleting his response and typing it back up again. He soon got frustrated and took a deep breath. He started typing his response again, this time sending it before his mind tells him to delete it again.

_[SleepySheep69420]: kinda weird because we’ve been talking to each other for a month already???_

_[SleepySheep69420]: and we still haven’t seen each other_

_[SleepySheep69420]: I live kinda close to Olympus U and I was wondering if you’re up to like_

_[SleepySheep69420]: maybe hang out or something???_

Hypnos didn’t even need to wait for a response as it came immediately.

_[HelmetHead01]: Sure. Where and when do you want to meet up?_

He wanted to scream. He quickly thought of a place and time. He remembered what Sisyphus told him.

Hypnos quickly looked up the address to the café he got dragged to after that debate competition and sent it to Mars. He asked if 2:30PM the next day was okay. It was blessedly a Friday so his classes end at around 1PM that day.

Mars agreed and said that he looks forward to meeting.

Hypnos didn’t sleep much that night.

* * *

Call it what you want—nervousness, boyish excitement, but Hypnos was buzzing in his seat. The end of his last class for the day can’t get any longer. Sisyphus notices his restlessness and tuts him quietly.

“I haven’t had much sleep and the coffee I got earlier isn’t helping!” Hypnos exclaims in a hushed whisper.

“I’m sure that’s not the only reason you’re restless,” Sisyphus whispers back.

The bell tolled and Hypnos was up from his seat quickly. He told Sisyphus where he was going and said quick goodbyes.

He quickly went home, took a shower and changed into a new pair of jeans and shirt. He wanted to look low-key, not wanting to give away that he was looking forward to this because he isn’t, alright? This is the curiosity, doing him dirty, making it seem like he was excited when he wasn’t.

And before anyone gets any weird ideas, if it turns out Mars was totally his type, this is just a chill hang-out session between two new friends, alright? No funny business.

At exactly 2:30, he receives a message from Mars, saying he was already in front of the café and was going to get a seat. He also noted that the place was a bit empty so it was hard to miss him.

Hypnos arrived 5 minutes later. Cursing because the bus had to do two extra stopovers before Hypnos was able to get off. He messages Mars quickly, saying he’s outside already and was going in.

True enough, the café was a bit empty. The students at Erebus probably chose to spend their Fridays somewhere else because the place was usually packed. Hypnos scans the place, looking for someone sitting alone. His gaze soon landed on a familiar looking person seated alone, near the window. His eyes grew wide.

It was none other than Ares. He was sitting alone, looking out the window. He was the only one seated alone and realization dawned on Hypnos.

Holy _shit_ , Hypnos thought. _It can’t be_.

Hypnos doesn’t know how long he’s stuck standing near the door. It must’ve been too long because Ares moved to pick up his phone again and to look at the entrance and his eyes grew wide as well when his gaze met Hypnos. Why this was so, Hypnos doesn’t know. But that wasn’t important.

Hypnos walked to the table where Ares sat.

“So, uhhh…this is awkward but are you Mars?”

Ares was still staring at him from his seat. It was a minute before he nodded.

“And you’re Somnus?”

Hypnos smiles sheepishly. It could be his eyes and the light playing tricks on him but he swears he saw the faintest blush spread across Ares’s cheeks.

Thank Gods for Spark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hellooooooo!!!
> 
> Sorry I haven't gotten around to replying. Was busy with work and crying about TSOA.
> 
> Glad you all enjoy it! Thanks for your kind words akdbskdnwkenek


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the quality dipped for this chapter lajsowhsoehd been through a hell of a week and I haven't recovered still 
> 
> Thanks for reading tho!

Maybe Dionysus was right.

Maybe he did just need to get out and meet people or whatever nonsense Dionysus liked to say to him to get him to agree to his late night trysts at some frat house or friend’s house. Not that he will admit it.

But he will be gracious enough to agree that _this_ was rather pleasant. Talking to someone without care, hearing them talk about whatever it is that came to mind, not being feared or taken advantage of. Though, not that he would permit such a thing to happen. But Ares has come across some people who would try to get in his good graces just for a favor which he ultimately and immediately thwarted.

Ares finds that Somnus—or _Hypnos_ , he later finds out—was as eccentric and ridiculous in person as he was in chat. He talked excitedly about the same things he talked about in chat, which Ares finds quite endearing.

He honestly thought it would be awkward, given how he was not accustomed to something like this. But somehow Hypnos made it easy. He was a bit talkative, shooting off into conversation as soon as a topic arrives to him. Usually, Ares disliked the talkative type. But this time, he didn’t mind.

But now, Ares faces a predicament. Though he is glad that Somnus and Hypnos are one and the same, it poses a new set of questions that Ares wants to ask. Mainly, of course, what Hypnos meant when said that Area “intrigued” him. It was one of the first few things that Hypnos asked him when they first talked through Spark. Now he also has to ask why Hypnos was staring at him during the debate. Though many weeks have passed since then, Ares couldn’t forget the intensity and the way Hypnos stared at him.

But, Ares needed to wait. He needed the perfect time to introduce himself properly before he could ask the burning questions he needed answers to.

“But seriously,” Hypnos says, a bit breathless from laughing after Ares told him about the time he happened upon Dionysus with his current lover at the time making out in their shared room. “Your roommate sounds like a fun guy.”

Ares sighs. “Yes, well, I wish I can say the same. But his antics serves to do nothing but cause me quite the headache. Though, loathe as I am to admit it, it is quite hard to be cross with him.”

His statement made Hypnos giggle.

“You sure have strong resolve, though. He seems like the type to easily rope someone into going along with his shenanigans.”

“I can proudly say I have never been convinced. Except this one time maybe. I’m quite busy with schoolwork, you see.”

“But you had time to go out and meet me? Gosh, I’m flattered, Mars.” Hypnos says cheekily, a sly smile forming on his lips.

Ares sputters and hides his embarrassment by clearing his throat. “Well, I was curious, you see. As I’m sure you are too. Since you’re the first to ask.”

Hypnos hums. “Okay~, if you say so~.”

Ares was about to protest again, to defend his case, to make sure Hypnos got it right that he was busy all the time and wasn’t overeager to meet him but Hypnos giggled again.

“I was just teasing you, Mars. I’m glad you went out of your way to meet me.”

Ares could feel his cheeks flush. “Ah, yes. Likewise.”

* * *

Their conversation continues on. Ares wasn’t sure how long they’ve been talking but it must’ve been a long while. He wasn’t about to complain. He was content to listen to Hypnos ramble on and content to tell small bits of his as well.

After a while though, Hypnos excuses himself to use the facilities. Ares let his mind wander while he waited until he stumbles on the intrusive thought of the reason Hypnos said he was intriguing. He briefly wonders how he’ll broach the topic. Will Hypnos mind when he admits that he’s been using a fake name all this time? Maybe not. Hypnos was guilty of the same thing. He’s sure Hypnos will understand.

He sighs and turns to watch people pass by the window beside their table. Why was he so worried about what Hypnos thought or will think about him? This was very unlike him and it worries him a bit. All this doubting and wondering made him seem so needy. He swears it’s just the thrill of it all, and not because he was desperate or anything like that. Ares prides his capability to be independent. He knew how to entertain himself.

His thoughts were soon put to an abrupt halt though, when a hand slams onto the table and startles him out of his stupor. He whips around and was about ready to talk the person down.

But his eyes widened when he realizes it was Dionysus.

“Fancy seeing you here, Ares.” Dionysus says, a smirk forming on his lips. “Didn’t know you ventured out this far into the city just to have coffee. Anything special here, hmm?”

Gods, Ares really can’t catch a break, can he?

Ares hesitated to answer, which was the absolute worst thing to do as it gave Dionysus to pounce on his momentary lapse to keep pressing Ares. Dionysus asked question after question, which Ares ignored in favor of groaning and glaring at the man. Dionysus settles on the seat where Hypnos sat.

“Oh, don’t give me that look!” Dionysus chides, propping his arm on the table and settling his chin on his hand. “I’m not the one here having clandestine meetings with some stranger.”

“You make everything sound so unnecessarily dramatic. This is hardly a ‘clandestine’ meeting. But more importantly, what are you doing here?”

Dionysus clicks his tongue. “Don’t pass the question to me! Tell me who you’re meeting!”

Ares rolls his eyes. “None of your business, Dionysus.”

“Fine. Be like that. I’ll find out soon enough any—” Dionysus says before he gets cut off by another familiar man tapping on his shoulder.

It was Zagreus.

Great. What’s taking Hypnos so long? Would it be rude to just up and leave without saying goodbye? Because Ares is compelled to leave right now. He can already foresee the teasing he’ll receive when Hypnos emerges from the comfort room and happens upon this infuriating pair.

“I’ve been looking all over for you, Dionysus. We have to go or we’ll be late to the party.” Zagreus says before nodding to Ares. Ares nods back.

“You know Ares, Dionysus?” Zagreus asks from beside Dionysus but the latter was still staring at Ares who met it evenly.

“Yes, I am his roommate,” Ares says tersely.

“Oh,” Zagreus says. “Well, it’s nice to meet you finally. Though you probably know me already since you and Than are acquainted and we see each other quite a lot when I have to fetch Than from interschool stuff.”

“Though,” Zagreus continues after a beat. “This is…an odd place for you to be. I’m sure there are cafés around Olympus. This is pretty far out for you.”

“Well, I could say the same for Dionysus,” Ares says.

Dionysus finally breaks eye contact to laugh. “Yeah, Zagreus, isn’t it weird? And this guy always says he doesn’t have time to go out and would much rather study. Yet here he is. How surprising.”

Ares didn’t like how Dionysus enunciated that last part. He dreads the inevitable event of having to explain to Dionysus the reason why he was here.

“Come sit, Zag. Let’s keep Ares company for a bit before whoever he’s with comes back.” Dionysus scoots a little to make room for Zagreus. The latter took a seat.

Ares thought this might be the day he’ll have to exact his threats about cutting Dionysus’ hair.

* * *

Gods, whoever it was that got to the comfort room before Hypnos did sure is taking their sweet time. It’s been five minutes! Hypnos groans inwardly. Just when the conversation was going so smoothly.

Still, Hypnos smiled to himself. He couldn’t get any luckier than this. Who knew he’d snag someone like Ares the first time used those shady dating apps? He wasn’t really expecting much. It was an honest surprise to find out that Ares was Mars all along. Now Zagreus’ remarks about Ares being scary made even less sense now.

Well, Area _did_ look intimidating. He looked like the type to have a scowl as a default emotion or something. Plus, he had that piercing gaze that made Hypnos shrink a bit.

But the way they conversed in and out of chat showed otherwise, though. Plus, he didn’t seem to mind that Hypnos talked his head off. Hypnos still kicks himself when he feels he’s talked too much. He’s been informed enough times about it so he tries to avoid doing just that. But he can’t help it sometimes.

All in all, Ares really wasn’t what he seems like at first glance. Hypnos hopes he can continue this enough to know more about the guy.

Finally, the person occupying the comfort room emerged and Hypnos stepped in in their stead. He was only there for a few minutes and was about to get back to the table he left Ares in when he sees two people sitting on the seat Hypnos occupied before. To his surprise, one of them was Zagreus. Ares seems to be locked in an intense staring contest with the one sat beside Zagreus, though. Hypnos wondered who it was.

Hypnos approaches the table and clears his throat to get everyone’s attention, as it seems that they did not notice him approach them. Zagreus was the first to look at him, who looked confused but smiled anyway. Ares and the other guy continued on. The other guy had a lazy smile on his face while Ares looked like he was inches from choking the guy.

“Hey, Hypnos!” Zagreus greets with a wave. Ares flinches at the mention of his name and breaks eye contact to look up at Hypnos. “What are you doing here?”

“Uhh, yeah, hey, Zag!” Hypnos says, waving back. “I could ask the same thing. But to answer your question…Uhmmm…” Hypnos trails off.

Zagreus cocked his head to the side, that same confused look still on his face. By this time, the guy Ares was staring down was looking up at him as well, beaming a smile at Hypnos that made him a bit uneasy. He smiles back, scratching the back of his neck to hide his embarrassment.

“Are you going to leave or do I have to kick you out, Dionysus?” Ares says grimly. Yipes. He sounded pissed.

“Oh, Ares, won’t you introduce us to your friend?” The guy—Dionysus—says.

Zagreus took this time to gasp and say, “Wait, is he—” He points to Ares. “—the guy you were thinking of meeting?”

Hypnos nods. The lack of context seemed to have bewildered Dionysus because he was demanding Zagreus to elaborate. Zagreus was about to but Dionysus cuts him off

“But!” Dionysus says to Hypnos. “Take a seat and you tell me. Since my dearly beloved roommate here won’t divulge it and you seem willing.”

Dearly beloved roommate scowled and Hypnos couldn’t help but giggle. “You’re _the_ roommate he told me about, I see.”

Dionysus gasps in mock surprise and turns to Ares. “You’ve been talking about me? I’m touched!”

“I wish I hadn’t.” Ares says bitterly. He moves a bit to give room to Hypnos. He sat beside Ares.

“So tell me, how do you know my most favorite roommate?” Dionysus asks Hypnos.

Ares scoffs beside Hypnos. “I’m your only roommate, Dionysus.”

Hypnos giggled. “Well, we’ve been talking for a while now, actually. We decided to meet finally today.”

“Talking where?” Dionysus asks, his brow shooting up.

“You know that app? The one that’s been going around campus, Dio?” Zagreus supplies. Dionysus nods.

“Spark?” Dionysus says.

“Yeah.” Hypnos replies

Hearing the confirmation seems to delight Dionysus as his lips split into a knowing smirk. Ares squirmed a bit beside Hypnos.

“Wow, Ares. Thought you said you deleted that app already because you didn’t have time for it?” Dionysus says teasingly.

“I merely didn’t want you snooping. Just like what you’re doing now.” Ares says tersely.

“I’m pained you’d think I’d do something like that!” Dionysus says with a dramatic flourish, feigning hurt.

Ares didn’t seem to buy it.

“Seriously, though, I’m really glad you finally met and all but Dio we really have to go.” Zagreus finally says, moving to stand up from his seat. “It was really nice to meet you, Ares.”

Ares just grunts a response. Zagreus taps Hypnos on the shoulder and they share a knowing look. Hypnos waves him off and says, “I will! I promise.”

That seemed to be enough for Zagreus because he urges Dionysus to pick up the pace and leaves the café. Dionysus lazily stands up from his seat and takes Hypnos’ hand in his.

“It was very nice to see you. We have got to meet properly one of these days so we can both tease Ares into oblivion.” Dionysus says cheekily with a wink. Hypnos giggles and nods. Dionysus sends a wink to Ares who just flips him off. Dionysus chuckles and bids them goodbye and leaves, leaving Ares and Hypnos by themselves.

They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Ares clears his throat to catch Hypnos’ attention.

“I’m…sorry. I haven’t been truthful. I’ve introduced myself as Mars when my real name is Ares. Though, I hope you understand. I was just being careful.” Ares says quietly.

Hypnos dismisses his worries with a wave of his hand and a smile. “Don’t worry. I’m guilty of the same thing. I said my name was Somnus when it wasn’t. I was just being as careful as you are.”

He extends his hand to Ares who just looked at it, confused. “Hi, Ares. I’m Hypnos. Nice to meet you.”

Ares takes his hand finally and shakes it before letting it go. “Nice to meet you too, Hypnos.”

Hypnos giggles.

“Since we’re properly introduced now, I guess it’s the right time to ask about it,” Ares adjusts himself in his seat so he can better look at Hypnos. He squirms at Ares’ intense gaze but he nods.

“When we first talked, you said you found me ‘intriguing’. It’s been gnawing at me ever since you said it. Care to tell me what’s so intriguing about me?”

Hypnos felt a blush crawl up from his neck to the tips of his ears. He did say that, didn’t he? He looks away from Ares. Gods, what is he going to tell the guy? He can’t possibly say what he really saw in Ares!

He faces Ares again and meets the same intense gaze Ares held seconds ago. Hypnos purses his lips and says, “I mean, you just are.”

Ares just raises an eyebrow at him, silently urging him to divulge more.

Hypnos clears his throat, suddenly feeling like it was dry.

“Well, see, uhmm,” Hypnos falters, choosing to look away from Ares again. “I saw you at that debate competition some time ago and well…” He trails off and mumbles the last part. Ares had to nudge him and Hypnos startles a bit but he finally looks at Ares.

“You just are, okay? I mean just look at you!” Hypnos says, his face growing even more red than before. Ares had an amused look on his face.

“Yes, what about me? You know, I have been called many things by many people. Not to my face, of course. I was often called arrogant, menacing, intimidating. But intriguing wasn’t one of them,” Ares tells him. “So I’m curious. What about me has you so intrigued?”

Hypnos wanted to tear his hair from his scalp. Gods, this was embarrassing. He just had to say that. Him and his stupid mouth.

He instead tried to play coy, choosing to scoff and say, “Intimidating, I might agree. But menacing? Really?”

Ares chuckles and nods. “Yes, I’ve heard it fairly often. Though, it works for me as I have no interest in engaging in conversation with a lot of them. They can be scared all they want.”

“Scared, huh? Zagreus also said you were scary.”

“Yes, well, are you? Scared, I mean.”

Hypnos shakes his head. “I really don’t get it, honestly. When Zagreus said that, I was appalled because,” Hypnos pauses to gesture at Ares with his hands, as if to emphasize his point. “Just look at you.”

“Yes, you keep saying that, but never answered what I should be looking at.”

Hypnos groans exasperatedly. “Dude, no lie, I will eat on your hand if you asked me to.”

Ares chokes on nothing and coughs his embarrassment away. His mouth open and shuts, trying to form words to reply but none come to him. Hypnos just laughs at him, apparently finding Ares being at a loss for words really funny.

Ares glares at him a little before sighing and smiling along. “You got me there,” he says.

It took a few minutes before Hypnos recovered from his fit of laughter. At least Ares didn’t look too mad. In fact, he looked amused, a small smile on his lips. The sight bewildered Hypnos a little but he didn’t dwell on the thought too much as he suddenly notices the pale orange hue of the sky.

“Oh, wow. We’ve been here that long, huh?” Hypnos says as he fishes his phone out of his pocket to check the time.

Ares looks out the window as well and nods. “I think we should go.”

The suggestion made Hypnos a little sad but he nodded. He did have stuff he still needed to finish for school. He moved to stand up and Ares soon followed. They exited the café together and stopped at the front.

“I…hope this isn’t the last time we meet like this,” Ares says.

“Are you kidding me? Of course we’ll meet again.” Hypnos giggles.

Ares nods. “Well, let me know when and I’ll see if I can clear my schedule for it,” Hypnos watches as Ares waves before heading towards the direction of the station which will take him back to Olympus University.

He stood in front of the café for an inappropriately long time, facing the direction that Ares went. He was snapped out of his revelry when he felt his back pocket vibrate. He takes out his phone to see that he had received a message from Zagreus. What great timing, as always.

_[Zagreus]: he totally likes u haha_

Hypnos blushes.

_[Hypnos]: shut up omg_

He puts his phone back in his pocket and heads towards the direction of his home, just about ready to slump on his comfy bed and possibly dream sharp jawlines and dreamy smiles.

**Author's Note:**

> Me and my friend went down the Arenos rabbithole now here we are


End file.
